This medal, depicting King Louis Philippe I, commemorates the 1842 establishment of the French Railway System. The neoclassical rendition of Louis Philippe I’s portrait on this medal strictly follows the precedent set by Napoleon I, who oftentimes depicted himself in a style reminiscent of the Caesars. The personification of France on the reverse holds railroad tablets and is flanked by winged Commerce and Mars. The composition alludes to the economic and military application of railroads and signals the beginning of the age of rail. Bovy won the Legion of Honor in 1843 for the design of this medal, which remains, to this day, one of the largest medals ever struck.
Object Description
310 LOUIS PHILIPPE I ( 1773-1850), King of France (1830-48) 1842
Obv. Head to left, laureate. Around, LOUIS PHILIPPE I ROI DES FRANCAIS • ; below, A . BOVY .
Rev. Flying Mercury and Mars flank a female figure, nude to the waist and seated on a throne, who holds tablets inscribed CHEMINS | DE | FER in her left hand and points to Mercury with her right; in distance, four trains. Inscribed on throne, LOI DU XI JUIN | M . D . CCC . XLII . | . LOUIS PHILIPPE . | REGNANT; around, DANT IGNOTAS MARTI NOVASQUE MERCURIO ALAS . ; in exergue, M[superscript R] TESTE MINISTRE DES TRAVAUX PUBLICS . | M[superscript R] LEGRAND SOUS-SECRETAIRE D'ETAT . | A . BOVY FECIT . ; stamped on rim, CUIVRE
Copper, struck, 113 mm.
Commemorates promulgation of railway laws in France. This is one of the largest medals ever struck, and won for its engraver, in 1843, the Legion of Honor.
Bibl.: Forrer i, p. 246; Jean Babelon, "Les Medailles a L'Exposition Romantique de la Bibliotheque Nationale," Arethuse, fasc. 27 (1930), p. 68, pl. 11, no. 4; Auguste Moyaux, Les Chemins de Fer Autrefois et Aujourd'hui et Leurs Medailles Commemoratives, Brussels 1905, no. 121.
